The most important person in your dog's life (other than you, of course) is your veterinarian. If your four-legged friend could talk, what would he or she say about your current veterinarian? Is the vet calming and caring, or cold and rough? It's important to choose a veterinarian that both you and your dog approve of! Here are some helpful tips on choosing a good veterinary clinic:

1. Reputation

Make sure you find out the background of the person that will be caring for your dog's health. Get a list of referrals. Maybe someone you know goes to that particular vet. Search sites like Yelp.com and make sure you have perused and read all of the reviews. Look for a pattern of either positive or negative experiences with a particular veterinarian. What did they dislike about the vet?

Advertisement:

2. Credentials

It's imperative that you ensure that your veterinarian actually attended an accredited school and earned a credible Veterinarian Medicine degree. Common practice is to have the diploma centrally displayed as you walk into their private office. You will want a vet that hasn't just graduated but has years of experience and is very established in the business. For Vets with over twenty years of experience, make sure you thoroughly understand what other graduate level or continuing education programs they have completed.

3. Service

Choose a veterinarian that is able to spend the adequate time with you during your scheduled visit, so that you don't feel rushed or filled with unanswered questions that weren't addressed. Avoid any type of vets that tend to book too many people at once and thus you are given inadequate time to deal with your pet's needs.

4. Cost

The price is entirely dependent on the location, the type of clients, how large or small the facility is, etcetera. Veterinarian prices can mark up the standard costs of general checkups and procedures such as neutering or vaccinations. It's important to make sure your vet gives you a fair cost based on the market's going rate in the market. Find out if they accept pet insurance plans or if they are flexible with payment arrangements just in case an emergency surgery or other costly medical expenses arise.

5. Clean and Sanitary Facilities

This one is pretty straightforward. You definitely don't want to set foot in an veterinarian office that is not hygienically safe and untidy for sanitary purposes. If you are looking to book your next appointment and you happen to see blood or urine on the ground, definitely consider another place for your dog.

Advertisement:

6. Knowledgeable

A seasoned veterinarian should be familiar with the breed of your dog and any issues that are associated with that breed. For example, German Sheppard usually suffer from Hip Dyspepsia. Make sure you have reputable specialists that are ready to refer you to something that is not your profession.

7. Personality

It's crucial that you find a compassionate vet who genuinely cares about your pet's needs. You will create a rapport with this person and your pet's health depends on their sympathy and understanding. This is especially true when you have to possibly look at doing the unthinkable, like putting your dog to sleep.

8. Organized

In the midst of all the madness between working and family life, maintaining things like your dog's medicine and vaccination schedule is quite a challenge. For this reason, many vets will help keep you organized by sending out reminder notices and giving you a phone call so that you remember your dog's appointments without becoming overwhelmed. If you have an organized veterinarian, they will do a superb job at checking in with you to see if your dog is healing properly from the last surgical incision or they may ask how they are doing after a medication was prescribed.